Post subject: Re: F-One Bandit Looping out of control dragging the rider

Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 2:34 am

Medium Poster

Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2009 12:02 amPosts: 148

The kiter was jumping and landed with slack in the lines. The kite rolled over and started to loop. He activated his quick release and the kite continued to loop pulling him until he hit the final release. I am not trying to bash F one in any way. The safety system on all kites can fail under circumstances like this.

Luckily he was jumping a safe distance from land and the rider was fine. I just wanted to put it out there so people may learn from this.

I had a similar scenario, with the kite looping out of control and dragging and dunking me, but with me the bar got tangled in the lines after I popped the QR on the water (self landing), and kept the kite powered up.

My question is: Is there any way you can get out of a situation like this, without having to fully release the kite?

This happened to me in 07, with a Vegas, on first release for some reason the 5th line got wrapped round a bar end causing the kite to loop powerfully. I was getting dragged backwards by the leash pretty fast, the bow wave created by my body was sending water over my head making it hard to breath. It was also a struggle to reach behind my back against the flow of the water to reach and pull the final release.

Pretty scary and the only incident in 12/13 yrs kiting that made me think i was going to drown! it was winter too and freezing cold which was also taking the breath away.

I had a kite do this twice. Both times after blowing jumps. The lines went slack, and one steering line got caught around the opposite bar end. It only was a single wrap, very easy to fix......just not while flying threw the air.

Each time I hit the water, I tried to unsnag the line. The kite looped 3 big loops, before I was able to free the line. One loop away from total release. I was in the middle of the bay, with a half mile downwind.

The second time I went to my front line, and it was over.

My friend mike has a similar story. Totaly releaseing his kite in the surf.

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